HISTORY AND CURRENT STATUS

The Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center (Center) was created in 1991, as a division of the Waste-management Education & Research Consortium (WERC), in the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University (NMSU). On September 1, 1999, the Center became a direct part of the College of Engineering, New Mexico State University. The Center was established with a grant entitled "Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Program" (CEMRC) from DOE to NMSU. The CEMRC was funded initially for $27 million over a seven year period (1991-1998). Subsequently, the grant was increased to almost $33 million, and the grant period was extended to 2008.

The primary goals of the CEMRC are to:

• Establish a permanent center of excellence to anticipate and respond to emerging health and environmental needs, and
• Develop and implement an independent health and environmental monitoring program in the vicinity of the DOE Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and make the results easily accessible to all interested parties.

The Center is to function as a nucleus of research excellence supported through grant funding and service contracts. As a part of NMSU, the Center's research programs are conducted under the philosophy of academic freedom and independence from direct external control of research activities and outcomes. The Center's primary objectives are to:

• Help ensure that the public, workers, and the environment are adequately protected from exposure to contaminants,
• Provide for objective, independent health and environmental monitoring,
• Provide advanced training and educational opportunities,
• Develop improved measurement methods, procedures, and sensors, and
• Establish a health and environmental database accessible to all sectors.

The funding for the CEMRC included approximately $7 million for construction of a 25,000 square feet building to house the Center's environmental and radiochemistry laboratories, in vivo bioassay facility, mobile bioassay laboratory, computing operations, and offices for scientific and administrative staff. Construction of this facility was completed in December 1996. The facility, named Light Hall, is located adjacent to the NMSU-Carlsbad campus, on 22 acres of land donated to NMSU by Mr. Robert S. Light, former New Mexico State Representative (D-55^th District).

(Former state representative Robert Light)

Related Links Center Staff Description of Major Scientific Program Areas WIPP Environmental Monitoring Project